ANAHEIM, Calif. – During a season in which catastrophic injury seems to be the norm rather than the aberration for the Rangers, the morbid question lingers: Who’s next?

It’s not rhetorical.

As his batting average and on-base percentage sink and lingering ankle soreness becomes more evident, it seems Shin-Soo Choo is the odds-on favorite.

In the Rangers' 3-2 10-inning loss to Los Angeles on Saturday night, it was evident even on a night when Choo homered in the ninth to momentarily tie the game. The homer was just his second extra-base hit of June, and it came an inning after he was unable to get any elevation when he tried to jump at the left field wall to corral a go-ahead homer by C.J. Cron.

The Angels picked up the walkoff win when Josh Hamilton led off the 10 with an infield single off the glove of Neal Cotts and then scored on Howie Kendrick’s double.

While he avoided the disabled list in April after spraining his ankle, the injury hasn’t healed – and won’t until he gets significant time off. And what Choo calls the longest funk of his career seems tied to a day in Detroit nearly a month ago when he aggravated the ankle injury.

“I have had stretches in other seasons where I have struggled,” Choo said. “But this is the longest of my baseball career. I’ve looked at video. I’ve done extra hitting. I’ve spent a lot of time with the hitting coaches. I’ve talked to a lot of guys trying to figure things out. And I can’t find anything mechanical. I don’t know what the problem is.”

Choo first injured the left ankle in April when he tripped over first base in Oakland. He missed 10 days, was ready to go on the DL, but understanding the state of the injury-depleted roster, agreed to play on. He did fine for a couple of weeks, then turned it while planting to make a through in Detroit on May 24.

Though he didn’t miss any time, his offensive numbers have taken a sharp turn for the worse. After going 1-for-4 Saturday, he is hitting .156 with a .512 OPS in the month since aggravating the injury. Since the start of June, manager Ron Washington has used Choo in the outfield about half the time in order to reduce the stress on the ankle. He played left field on Saturday, but will DH Sunday.

Choo said he underwent an MRI after the Detroit incident, but that it didn’t indicate any new injury. He said the DL has been a topic of discussion.

“But I need more time,” he said. “I think I will get better. I want to stay in the lineup. If I don’t, I can’t help the team. We are still fighting for the season. A lot of guys are injured and I know that. I’m just asking the baseball gods ‘let me feel better.’ I actually feel a little better. I’m not 100 percent – I know nobody is – but I’m not completely comfortable running.”

Choo said he feels the ankle occasionally on the finish of swings. And sometimes on the first couple of steps down the line. On Friday, he slowed down considerably after the first couple of steps on a ground ball with two on and two outs in the fifth. On Saturday, he tried to push it a little when his fourth-inning grounder scooted under the glove of second baseman Howie Kendrick. He was thrown out easily at second base.

“I know it’s bothering him some,” Washington said. “I don’t know how much. I don’t know if it is affecting his swing. In batting practice, it doesn’t look like it. In games, I don’t know.”

Washington indicated he believes the issue may be multi-dimensional. Choo also moved to the No. 3 spot in the order about the same time because that’s when Prince Fielder was lost for the season. Washington thinks he may be trying to do too much offensively, which has led to Choo expanding the strike zone and chasing too many pitches.

“I know there may be something of a mental problem,” Choo acknowledged. “Sometimes we make the game harder. I’m telling myself a lot of positive things. Hitting is not easy, so I’m trying not to make it harder.

It’s even more difficult when you are playing on an injury-ravaged ankle, trying to avoid being the next guy to have his season prematurely ended.”

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.